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"Thank you for putting such detailed instructions for making the tags. I'm designing for my 1st workshop and wanted to make some gift tags. You really made it easy and so beautiful." ~Julee M

Too Cool Tip of the Week

January 09, 2019

Oh, I'm having the best time playing with the NEW Occasions & Sale-a-Bration items! How about you?!

Today, I'm sharing a card that we'll be creating at my 20-Card Kickoff Party! Registration for the Ultimate NEW Catalog Kickoff Party closes in just 5 DAYS! If you're in the Fort Wayne, IN, area, this is a must-attend event where you can play with DOZENS of new products!

I wasn't sure about the Needlepoint Nook suite at first, because I don't sew or do any embroidery. But, those Needlepoint Elements Framelits and the lovely stitched pattern die totally sold me! It has the look of the Quilt Top Embossing Folder stitching in a pretty floral pattern. I couldn't wait to try it out on this 2019 Kickoff Card design!

Background Basics—I started by running that Needlepoint Element floral stitching die through the Big Shot on a 5-1/4" x 4" piece of Coastal Cabana. I adhered the layer onto a Coastal Cabana card base.

Eeeee! I mean look at that awesome stitched pattern...I LOVE it so much! SO VERY MUCH!!!

Pretty Focal Point—The NEW Stitched Rectangle Framelits complement the stitched background perfectly. I die-cut a 3-5/8" wide Whisper White rectangle for the focal point layer. I stamped the larger Needle & Thread flower in Coastal Cabana, then stamped the smaller flower directly over the center of the image in Pacific Point ink. I love that two-tone look!

Dis-INK-tive Stamps—The image is a Dis-INK-tive stamp, which means extra-detailed and it looks like actual embroidery floss! Do you ever have trouble stamping the detailed Dis-INK-tive stamps? Sometimes, when an ink pad has lots of ink in it, like right after it's re-inked, the extra ink fills in the crevices of the images, so you end up with a big, blurry blob! Scroll down for my Too Cool Tip of the Week for a quick & easy solution for achieving crisp, clean images every time!

I added two Needle & Thread leaves in Granny Apple Green ink on either side of the flower. I finished by adding a sentiment from the same set in Pacific Point.

Finishing Touches—I adhered a small piece of folded the Coastal Cabana/Granny Apple Green 3/8" Reversible Satin Ribbon on the back of the stamped layer, then popped the piece up onto a 3-7/8" x 1-7/8" piece of Pacific Point cardstock with Dimensionals. It's mounted onto the card front with SNAIL adhesive. Finally, I added a few of the iridescent Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins for some sparkle and shine.

I love mixing elements from different suites of products and I love that they come together with perfect coordination!

Bundle It & SAVE—Purchase the Needle & Thread stamp set and Needlepoint Elements Framelits together in a Bundle to save 10% off the cost of purchasing them separately.

Two Cool—My second version tries out a different color combination with the same card design. The background stitched pattern was added to a Petal Pink layer and mounted onto a Petal Pink card base.

Focal Point—The flower was stamped in Petal Pink for the larger flower and Calypso Coral for the center smaller flower. The leaves were still in Granny Apple Green and the sentiment was in Calypso Coral.

Finishing Touches—This time, I used the coordinating Calypso Coral 3/8" Satin Ribbon under the stamped layer. It's mounted onto a Calypso Coral mat with Dimensionals, then added to the card front. I finished with the Grapefruit Grove color of Gingham Gala Sequins. I love how the colors of the sequins easily coordinate with similar colors, giving them lots of versatility!

Your Kick-Off Party Goodie Bag—Each one of my party participants will receive $16 worth of NEW Occasions products and this card features two of them: Calypso Coral 3/8" Satin Ribbon & Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins! You'll use a little bit of your goodie bag items on the projects, then take the remaining home to use on your own projects!

Too Cool Tip of the Week—Did you know that I share a Too Cool Tip of the Week every week? You can find my weekly tip in several places: